Philadelphia Flyers Remaining Schedule is Huge Test

The first two periods of the Philadelphia Flyers’ last game, against the Washington Capitals, were ugly. The team struggled to get anything going offensively and although Brian Elliott didn’t have his best game in net, the defense wasn’t much better in front of him.

The Flyers were trailing 5-0 at one point but were able to claw back in a little bit by scoring three unanswered goals. Still, the loss killed a lot of momentum for reaching the playoffs and things won’t get any easier.

Philly has 15 games left in the season. Twelve of them will be against playoff teams including two more against the Capitals, two against the Toronto Maple Leafs, considered one of the best offenses in the league, and eight total versus Metropolitan opponents.

While the play from Jan. 10 that saw the Flyers go 17-5-2 was impressive, it’s really the upcoming stretch run of the season that will determine what the team is moving forward.

In the 17-5-2 stretch, the Flyers won nine games against teams that are currently in the playoffs. That includes two wins over a borderline-playoff team, Minnesota Wild, and one against the slumping New York Islanders. The eight other wins came against non-playoff teams including two over the bottom-dwelling Detroit Red Wings and others against the Oilers, Rangers, and Ducks.

Of the remaining schedule, the Flyers do play the Senators (the worst team in the league), Blackhawks and Rangers, but that’s it for teams below eighth in their conference standings.

The postseason may seem like a mirage at this point after the Flyers’ Wednesday night loss and the teams above them continuing to add space between them, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the season will make no difference. It will have huge impacts on several different facets.

Goalie Carter Hart (when he returns) will be tested much more than ever before, but the improvements from the young forwards and defensemen, like Oskar Lindblom and Travis Sanheim, will be put to the test even more. Seeing who fits into the defense next season will also continue to be watched.

But maybe the biggest test will be how interim head coach Scott Gordon performs for the rest of the year. He’s done an admirable job of turning around the special teams, but his team’s even-strength play, statistically, hasn’t differed much from under former coach Dave Hakstol.

Finishing with a winning record in the last 15 — or earning a miraculous playoff berth — could be the difference between Gordon having the interim tag removed or the Flyers looking at Joel Quenneville or another coach for behind the bench.

The Flyers have to be happy with how their season has turned out after the first half, but the stretch-run could prove where they’ll be — and who will be here — next season.